Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan — North & Central Asia, China & Tibet intro — Explore Worldwide 2008/09 online holiday brochure

NORTH & CENTRAL ASIA, CHINA & TIBET Jiayuguan Fort/Chris Bradley CHINA " KYRGYZSTAN " UZBEKISTAN The Silk Road 25 DAYS HOTELS/YURT OLD CATHAY & TARTARY Ref CH Registan, Samarkand/Simon Bostic JFMAMJJASOND JFMA The fabled Silk Road was one of the oldest trading routes between East and West. Our journey traces the main archaeological sites from Xian to Turpan then visits Kashgars amazing Sunday Market. Crossing the high Torugart Pass we venture into beautiful Kyrgyzstan and continue on to two of the most spectacular Silk Road cities, Bokhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan. The Great Wall & Terracotta Army Our journey begins in Beijing, visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. The Forbidden City is a maze of palaces and gardens, laid out like a chessboard, as Marco Polo wrote. In Xian, our sightseeing will include the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (210 BC) where we view one of the greatest archaeological finds of the century the buried army of lifesize terracotta figures. Then we continue to the vast Buddhist shrine at Dunhuang, where hundreds of paintings decorate the cave walls. Heading northwest, we stop at Turpan, a famed oasis town close to the ruined citadel of Jiaohe, which flourished under the Han Dynasty. Asias Largest Bazaar In the remote far west of China, Xinjiang Province is a vast steppe region populated by Moslem Uighurs with their own distinctively different customs, traditions and lifestyle. We cross the mighty Taklamakan desert by train to Kashgar, once a powerful trading post on the Silk Road, and now home to the famous and colourful Sunday Market where we find ourselves haggling alongside fur-clad Uighur and Kyrgyz tribesmen. Fabled Bokhara & Samarkand As we cross the Torugart Pass we enter Kyrgyzstan. Our journey continues through the open steppe and rugged mountains of this beautiful country; then takes us into Uzbekistan and the historic cities of Bokhara and Samarkand. Here we find some of the most dazzling architecture on the Silk Road; elaborately decorated mosques, ornate mausoleums and fabulous madrassas. FACTFILE Itinerary Day 1 Fly London/Beijing. 2 Arrive Beijing. 3 & 4 In Beijing; Forbidden City and Great Wall. 5 Fly Xian; visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the wooden mosque. 6 In Xian; visit Terracotta army. 7 In Xian; overnight train Jiayuguan. 8 Arrive Jiayuguan. 9 In Jiayuguan visit the Great Wall, Fort and Xincheng Tombs. 10 Drive Dunhuang; visit Buddhist Mogao Caves. 11 Visit Mingsha Dunes; PM drive Liuyan, overnight train to Turpan. 12 Arrive Turpan; visit Jiaohe Old City. 13 In Turpan; visit Gaochang and Thousand Buddha Caves; overnight train to Kashgar. 14 Arrive Kashgar. 15 In Kashgar; visit Sunday Market. 16 Optional trip along Karakoram Highway. 17 Drive via the Kyrgyz border and Torugart Pass to Tash Rabat. 18 Drive to Bishkek. 19 In Bishkek. 20 Fly to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. 21 Drive Samarkand; city tour. 22 In Samarkand. 23 Drive Bokhara; walking tour of city. 24 In Bokhara; overnight train to Tashkent. 25 Arrive Tashkent; fly London. Reverse itinerary: Certain departures operate in reverse: Day 1 Fly London/Tashkent. 2 Tashkent. 3 Overnight train Bokhara. 4 & 5 Bokhara. 6 & 7 Samarkand. 8 & 9 Bishkek. 10 Tash Rabat. 11 to 13 Kashgar. 14 Overnight train to Turpan. 15 Turpan. 16 Overnight train to Dunhuang. 17 Arrive Dunhuang. 18 Drive Jiayuguan. 19 Jiayuguan. 20 Train Xian. 21 Arrive Xian. 22 Xian. 23 Fly Beijing. 24 & 25 Beijing. 26 Fly London. Accommodation & Meals: 18nts hotel, (19nts on reverse itinerary), 1nt yurt, 4nts sleeper train; 20 breakfasts & 1 dinner included. See insert p2. Mode of Travel: Bus/Train/Flights as itinerary. Comment: A fascinating overland journey which covers a large distance and involves some long drives and overnight train travel. The tour goes to some very remote parts of China and Central Asia, giving us a unique insight into the most famous trade route of them all. Tour Staff & Support: Explore Tour Leader plus driver(s) and local guides. Group Size: Approx. 15 to 20. KAZAKHSTAN The Silk Road Ref CH Uighur muslims Oasis town MONGOLIA UZBEKI -STAN TASHKENT BISHKEK BOKHARA Ye l & Bezeklik Ta r i m DUNHUANG TAJIKISTAN KASHGAR B a s i n Mogao Caves JIAYUGUAN Famous Sunday AFGHANISTAN Sand dunes 2000 yr-old fort Market at sunrise Xincheng Tombs PAKISTAN Great Wall museum INDIA Tibetan km SAMARKAND Sy rd aj a Lake Issy Kul TURPAN Gobi Desert Mutianyu Great Wall Ye l l o w S e a KYRGYZ TASH RABAT Liuyan Ancient Jiaohe -STAN Torugart Pass lo w Ri v er BEIJING Forbidden City Terracotta Army XIAN Big Wild Goose Pagoda Muslim Quarter CHINA Plateau 0 1600 Bokhara/John Carr Essential information, departure dates & prices see Pricing & Information Supplement 167

North & Central Asia, China & Tibet intro contd… Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan